My Journey-“Set out” From Sin. Tuesday, Sep 26 2017 

Faith and God and memory and Scripture , , , , , jessicamaymoore 5:53 pm

Now I don’t know a lot about your journey with God but as for me, I see a parallel between the journey of the Israelites through the wilderness and my own journey through my Christian walk.

Based upon Numbers 21:1-5

When Arad (wild ass) was conquered. That was me alright.

They went by Way of Atharim.  (by way of the spies.) This is kind of like peer pressure. Somebody else went first. I just followed like a sheep.

The Israelites utterly destroyed the Canaanites (International Traders). I was a graduate of the school of “everybody is doing it.”

So they called the place Hormah (Devoted to Destruction) I didn’t know it at the time but I was on the wrong path. Not that Christianity was wrong but my approach to it.

Then they “set out” from Mt Hor (mountain) by way of the Red Sea, to go to the land of Edom. (Red) Edom was the land of Esau. Esau means “Doer”. This is the part of the journey where I was determined to climb the mountain of salvation by doing all I could for Christ. I was leader of the youth group, volunteered at the local nursing home, read my bible, said my prayers, you know the drill. Remember red is a very “visible” color. It can be seen from far away. It means STOP look at me.

Based upon Numbers 21:6-9

Right about now in the trip the Israelites get miffed at Moses about the food and water situation and the LORD sent “fiery serpents” among the people and they bit the people, so many people died. It says in the notes of my NIV version: God used venomous snakes to punish the people for their unbelief and complaining.

7 The people came to Moses (He Who Draws Out)  and said, “We sinned when we spoke against the Lord and against you. Pray that the Lord will take the snakes away from us.” So Moses prayed for the people.

As a new Christian when I got into trouble I went right to my pastor for prayer. A pastor draws us out of the world and into the kingdom of God.

8 The Lord said to Moses, “Make a snake and put it up on a pole; anyone who is bitten can look at it and live.” 9 So Moses made a bronze snake and put it up on a pole. Then when anyone was bitten by a snake and looked at the bronze snake, they lived.

This is where the symbol for doctors came from.  Doctors are called in when you are physically sick. Pastors are called in when you are spiritually sick. The note in my NIV says When the bronze snake was hung on the pole, the Israelites didn’t know the fuller meaning Jesus Christ would bring to this event. Jesus explained that just as the Israelites were healed of their sickness by looking at the snake on the pole, all believers today can be saved from the sickness of sin by looking to Jesus’ death on the cross.

They traveled to Oboth (Dragons) and camped at Iye-abraim (Ruins of crossing over) in the wilderness which is opposite Moab (of his father), to the east. I don’t know about you but it seemed to me as a new Christian the Devil (Dragon) attacked me even harder whenever I tried to do what I thought was the Christian thing to do. When I tried to change myself I would see my old life (ruins of crossing over) and think about how easy it was before I was saved just like the Israelites thought when they remembered Egypt. They had all the food and water (fun and folly) they wanted there. Going back is not an option but the “opposite Moab” (of his father). I had a new Daddy (ABBA).

From there they “set out” and camped in Wadi Zered (Valley of Luxuriant Growth of Trees) It took 38 years to get from the beginning to Wadi Zered which is also called the valley of Willows. Willows have deep roots. Deep roots imply deep waters. The rivers of living waters are in the hearts of every believer. (Holy Spirit) Remember Jesus said to the woman at the well, “if you would have asked me I would have given you living waters.”

14 For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God.

 

 

God’s Visions Sunday, Sep 24 2017 

Faith and God and Scripture , , , , , jessicamaymoore 2:06 pm

The Promise of the Spirit

28 “[p]It will come about after this That I will pour out My Spirit on all [q]mankind; And your sons and daughters will prophesy, Your old men will dream dreams, Your young men will see visions. 29 “Even on the male and female servants I will pour out My Spirit in those days.

 

Do you have visions? Dreams? Do you know what they mean? Do you know why you have them?

Have you ever wondered, “what on earth does this mean?”

God gives us dreams and visions for His purposes. As we see in Genesis:

Jacob Moves to Egypt

46 So Israel set out with all that he had, and came to Beersheba, and offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac. 2 God spoke to Israel [a]in visions of the night and said, “Jacob, Jacob.” And he said, “Here I am.” 3 He said, “I am God, the God of your father; do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will make you a great nation there.

Sometimes God uses them to call us to our ministry as in 1 Samuel:

The Prophetic Call to Samuel

3 Now the boy Samuel was ministering to the Lord before Eli. And word from the Lord was rare in those days, [a]visions were infrequent.

2 It happened at that time as Eli was lying down in his place (now his eyesight had begun to grow dim and he could not see well), 3 and the lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the temple of the Lord where the ark of God was, 4 that the Lord called Samuel; and he said, “Here I am.” 5 Then he ran to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” But he said, “I did not call, lie down again.” So he went and lay down. 6 The Lord called yet again, “Samuel!” So Samuel arose and went to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” But he [b]answered, “I did not call, my son, lie down again.” 7 Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, nor had the word of the Lord yet been revealed to him. 8 So the Lord called Samuel again for the third time. And he arose and went to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” Then Eli discerned that the Lord was calling the boy. 9 And Eli said to Samuel, “Go lie down, and it shall be if He calls you, that you shall say, ‘Speak, Lord, for Your servant is listening.’” So Samuel went and lay down in his place.

10 Then the Lord came and stood and called as at other times, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel said, “Speak, for Your servant is listening.” 11 The Lord said to Samuel, “Behold, I am about to do a thing in Israel at which both ears of everyone who hears it will tingle. 12 In that day I will carry out against Eli all that I have spoken concerning his house, from beginning to end. 13 For I have told him that I am about to judge his house forever for the iniquity which he knew, because his sons brought a curse on themselves and he did not rebuke them. 14 Therefore I have sworn to the house of Eli that the iniquity of Eli’s house shall not be atoned for by sacrifice or offering forever.”

15 So Samuel lay down until morning. Then he opened the doors of the house of the Lord. But Samuel was afraid to tell the vision to Eli. 16 Then Eli called Samuel and said, “Samuel, my son.” And he said, “Here I am.” 17 He said, “What is the word that He spoke to you? Please do not hide it from me. May God do so to you, and more also, if you hide anything from me of all the words that He spoke to you.” 18 So Samuel told him everything and hid nothing from him. And he said, “It is the Lord; let Him do what seems good to Him.”

Sometimes God uses them to warn us of things as in the book of Job:

Job 4:12-14New American Standard Bible (NASB)

12 “Now a word was brought to me stealthily, And my ear received a whisper of it. 13 “Amid disquieting thoughts from the visions of the night, When deep sleep falls on men, 14 Dread came upon me, and trembling, And made [a]all my bones shake.

The world doesn’t want to hear about your visions as in the book of Isaiah:

Isaiah 30:9-11New American Standard Bible (NASB)

9 For this is a rebellious people, false sons, Sons who [a]refuse to listen To the [b]instruction of the Lord; 10 Who say to the seers, “You must not see visions”; And to the prophets, “You must not prophesy to us what is right, Speak to us [c]pleasant words, Prophesy illusions. 11 “Get out of the way, turn aside from the path, [d]Let us hear no more about the Holy One of Israel.”

There are those who listen to the world’s request and speak of false visions, they are the false prophets as in the book of Lamentations:

14 Your prophets have seen for you False and foolish visions; And they have not exposed your iniquity So as to restore you from captivity, But they have seen for you false and misleading [b]oracles.

Prophets have visions as in the books of Ezekiel, Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, and Zechariah.

 

God’s Eyes Saturday, Sep 23 2017 

Faith and God and Scripture , , , , , , jessicamaymoore 1:17 pm

When you look at the back of a dollar bill there is a circle to the left with a pyramid in it. At the very top of the pyramid is an eye peeking through. That is the “all seeing eye of God.”

Around the circle are the Latin  words “Annuit Coeptis Novus Ordo Seclorum” which mean: “Undertakings The New World Order clan.”

This is a part of the Great Seal of the United States.

In the very center above the “one” you will see “In God We Trust”.

In the book of Luke chapter 16 we find:

15 And He said to them, “You are those who justify yourselves [a]in the sight of men, but God knows your hearts; for that which is highly esteemed among men is detestable [b]in the sight of God.

God’s eyes are capable of peeling back the layers of our hearts as if they were an onion. He sees right through to our true motives.

When Peter and John were before the Sanhedrin being questioned about their speaking in the name of “Jesus” it says in Acts 4:19-20:

19 But Peter and John answered and said to them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to give heed to you rather than to God, you be the judge; 20 for we cannot stop speaking about what we have seen and heard.”

As Christians we are called to “heed God”.

Now what does this mean? Well, it means that it is right “in the sight of God to give heed to Him rather than to man”. When God sees what we are doing he puts it into our hearts to either continue if it is His good will and pleasure or to STOP if what we are doing is bad. i.e. the conviction of the Holy Spirit.

And finally in the book of Hebrews Chapter 4 verse 13 it says:

13 And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do.

It is what God sees in our hearts that puts Him into action; to either convince or convict. He is the one who makes the changes in us as a part of our “new birth”. It is the resurrected Christ that is doing the work in us. But there is more than that. He is doing the same thing to every converted Christian in the entire world. And it is this combined work that changes nations so seek after the living God.

The fate of our world is in the balance.

As of the year 2017 there are 7,530,103,737 people living on earth and God has numbered all 1,129,515,560,550,000 hairs give or take 50 thousand being pulled by frustration.

Conclusion: Philippians 1:6

Philippians 1:6New American Standard Bible (NASB)

6 For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.

 

 

 

 

God’s Hiding Place Friday, Sep 22 2017 

Faith and God and Scripture , , , , , , , , jessicamaymoore 8:19 pm

Job 22:14 ‘Clouds are a hiding place for Him, so that He cannot see;
He walks on the [a]vault of heaven.’

The LORD inhabits the praises of His people.

50 “Therefore I will give thanks to You, O Lord, among the nations,
And I will sing praises to Your name.

Psalm 108:2-4King James Version (KJV)

2 Awake, psaltery and harp: I myself will awake early.

3 I will praise thee, O Lord, among the people: and I will sing praises unto thee among the nations.

4 For thy mercy is great above the heavens: and thy truth reaches unto the clouds.

Psalm 91 He that dwells in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.

Deuteronomy 4:29 But if from there you seek the Lord your God, you will find him if you seek him with all your heart and with all your soul. 30 When you are in distress and all these things have happened to you, then in later days you will return to the Lord your God and obey him.

1 Chronicles 16:9-11New International Version (NIV)

9 Sing to him, sing praise to him;
    tell of all his wonderful acts.
10 Glory in his holy name;
    let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice.
11 Look to the Lord and his strength;
    seek his face always.

1 Chronicles 22:18-19New International Version (NIV)

18 He said to them, “Is not the Lord your God with you? And has he not granted you rest on every side? For he has given the inhabitants of the land into my hands, and the land is subject to the Lord and to his people. 19 Now devote your heart and soul to seeking the Lord your God. Begin to build the sanctuary of the Lord God, so that you may bring the ark of the covenant of the Lord and the sacred articles belonging to God into the temple that will be built for the Name of the Lord.”

Psalm 27:7-9New International Version (NIV)

7 Hear my voice when I call, Lord;
    be merciful to me and answer me.
8 My heart says of you, “Seek his face!”
    Your face, Lord, I will seek.
9 Do not hide your face from me,
    do not turn your servant away in anger;
    you have been my helper.
Do not reject me or forsake me,
    God my Savior.

When we worship God it ushers in His Holy Spirit. He is not hiding. It says that those who seek Him will find Him.

 

Momentary Lapse Saturday, Sep 16 2017 

memory , , , , jessicamaymoore 12:33 pm

Momentary Lapse

 

This phrase is usually used for a mental condition where one is normally quite normal but for some misfire or other in the brain there is a momentary lapse of memory. It’s like reaching for the brass ring on a merry-go-round but being not quite able to reach it. I was nowhere near the proverbial ring when I was a kid but that isn’t the topic of discussion at present.

Having this momentary lapse, I can’t quite remember what it was I was going to tell you at present. I mean it just disappeared into thin air. Though I tried to grasp it here and there it just wasn’t anywhere.

I got the feeling, I might remember what I forgot but then forgot that I couldn’t remember. I’m sure you’ve had times like this. It sometimes helps to go back to where you were when you first had the thought because thoughts tend to linger where they were created. If that doesn’t work you can just resign yourself to the fact that you are getting older and older people forget more.

Now what were we talking about?

Oh yes, I remember, memory. Whose memory was it we were discussing?

And so, goes the day of the proverbial little old lady as she goes from task to task never really finishing anything but always busy. She can’t remember if she had an appointment that day or not or if she did who it would have been with. Was it the doctor or the dentist or the optometrist? Faces start to look strange to her like, “what was that kids name, again?” As she reaches toward him and snaps out, “Boy, boy, come here.” Then when he gets to where she is rocking in her chair she can’t remember why she called him.

To top it all off she is shocked when he says, “I love you, Grandma.”

 

God’s Face Sunday, Sep 10 2017 

Faith and God , , , , , , , jessicamaymoore 1:24 pm

Nobody can ever remove himself from the eyes of God because God is omnipresent.

In the book of Genesis it is said that man was made in the image of God.

Yet we think in terms of meeting God face to face at the end of this life for the purpose of being judged whether we were bad or good.

How do you face the prospect of death? Which one of these conditions are you in right now? Are you ready?

When you look into a mirror, what do you see? What do other’s see when they look into your face? When Jesus comes again will you be ready? Is He your God? Have you praised God for His free gift of salvation? Have you entrusted your soul to Jesus Christ?

If you have, you are not afraid of death. You are ready to meet your maker face to face. “Peniel”. This is the name of the place where Jacob wrestled with God and lived to tell about it. It means “Face of God.”

The only way to receive eternal life is to receive Jesus Christ. Being good isn’t enough. The law was given for the purpose of showing us how exceedingly sinful we are, and leads us to Christ the propitiation for our sin.

I pray you will accept Him.